Why I chose Android (over the iPad/Apple OS) May 12, 2012

This post is a long ramble about why I chose a Tablet with the Android operating system over the Apple’s operating system. My pro-Android biases are evident. But I am NOT being paid or supported or encouraged by any Android or Sony affiliated organisation.

When the ipad came out, I wanted one. But it was not available in my country (India)… and so I, wanting this unseen thing, applied the “sour grapes” principle and said the ipad (1) is not really a finished product… decided to wait for ipad 2 to start drooling again.

However, by the time ipad 2 made it into my country Samsung was a hit… the android phone, especially made huge strides in India… especially bringing Android to people who could not earlier afford a smartphone and of course a tablet. With the success of android/samsung, the attention, especially where I was, started shifting to this upstart alternative… from a company that we all (at least me) loved… Google.

But an iPad is an iPad, so I thought, and still wanted it.

then a few things happened… I started hearing/reading about the closed-door policies of Apple… the worst of it being to stop supporting Flash (from a company that I also liked… Adobe). I took it personally. But moreso when I saw that Apple was really using its market leverage to charge huge fees from developers and also make questionable (monopoly asserting) deals. But, despite the bad publicity that Apple was getting, it could not even hurt the huge market share and profits that Apple was gaining. Apple was the new Microsoft, who would have thought that was even possible a few years ago.

Certainly my respect for Apple (as a consumer)… started to wane… because I was not interested to spend my zero cash (because all this was only dreams, I never could afford an Apple anytime in my life) on droolling over an Microsoftesque company!

But that was not the only reason why I chose Android over the iOS (Apple’s operating system).

When I saw the ipod touch, it was really cool. Mainly for games, it was an attractive toy… another “i want one” experience. However, now that I had some money… I almost bought it (for my wife and daughter) but one huge factor changed my mind.

I found out that you need to put your credit card number to install anything, even a free game. Problem? Isn’t it obvious? But mainly, I don’t have a credit card. And even if I did, I didn’t want to be forced to share it. That was enough.

I didn’t care about the flash fight, neither was the “love for google” so strong. But once I found that I needed to use it with a credit card… enough was enough, my choice was made. (what’s worse, I’m sure Apple is happy I’m not an Apple fan because I would be a free loader and not add anything to its income… I would only install free stuff).

The first chance I got, I bought a Sony Tablet S for my wife. I liked its form-factor (9.4 inches) and also its holdability.

Now, upon using the Android ecosystem, I realise, it is also more configurable than an ipad, even though the quality of the games (particularly of some game graphics… which my wife noticed… was better in an Apple product).

Nevertheless, I love the free apps and I love that it is linked with a google account without installing the horrid itunes or whatever nonsense mac makes you install to install.

Icing on the cake, I recently heard of how Mac is blocking the Dropbox application. Even if it is a minor technicality, I wasn’t going to allow my much-needed app-Dropbox, to become a victim of iGreed. I was glad I was with Android rather than iOS.